Multiple vision clock



Patented Jan. 3g,

FEB4

,ii-EB 4 1941 MULTIPLE VISION CLOCK Anthony E. Carlson, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor by Decree of Court to E'dna L. Carlson Application October 5, 1936, Serial No. 104,093

7 Claims.

My invention relates to clocks and relates in particular to a clock face construction having a Wider angle of Visibility than is found in clocks now in use.

It is characteristic of common types of clocks having a single face with time indicating numerals thereon, or other markings or indicia intended for this purpose, that the indication of time by the position of the hands relative to the face of the clock can best be read when the face of the clock is viewed from a position substantially straight ahead, or on a line extending at an angle of to the face of the clock. As the viewer moves to the side, the face of the clock is seen at an angle, and perception of the time indicated thereby becomes more diflicult as the viewer moves farther to the side of a centralized position.

To enable readability from positions widely separated, clocks have been provided with multiple faces, that is, With faces projecting in different directions.

This, of course, involves means therefor are necessary.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a clock having a face across which clock hands are movable by a suitable clock mechanism, there being bodies projecting forwardly from the clock face preferably in spaced arrangement around a circle and in such positions as to indicate intervals of time.

Each of these bodies has a pair of oppositely disposed Walls or faces, that is, one Wall or face facing leftward and another Wall or face facing rightward, these walls or faces having indicia, such as numbers, thereon indicating intervals of time.

These projections or bodies may be viewed from the front and may be also viewed from the right or left along lines of vision extending close to parallel to the plane defined by the face of the clock. A clock having a face of this character is especially suitable for use between two positions ordinarily occupied by observers.

For example, the clock may be placed on a stand or table between twin beds with its face facing along a line extending blongitudinally between the twin beds.

The occupant of either bed may readily observe the time without necessity of reaching out and turning the clock so as to face him.

It is further object of the invention to pro- *ride clock of the character set forth in the i preceding paragraph having hands provided with enlargemehts or kncbs on the end portions thereof, which knobs may be clearly seen when the clock is being viewed from one side at a small angle of vision. lo

ft is a further object of the invention to provide a clock of the above character in Which the knobs on the hands are respectively positioned so that they Will traverse circles smaller larger than the circle defined by the prou ,M m

or bodies cailying the tlme indicating Further objects and advantages of the invention will be made evident throughout the folloignfg part of the specification.

e erring to th i ve purposges omdrawing, whlch 1s for illustra- Fig. l is a perspective view of a c ing preferred form of my inventi fi embody 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view showu ing one of the projections or bodies in perspeclive.

3 is a section taken as in line 3--3 of Fig. 2. dlcated by the 4 is a plan view of the clock, at reduced a sea e.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a portion of a clock face having a different form of projections thereon.

In Fig. l I show a clock 10 having a Circular u face H. with an hour-hand |2 and a minutehand i3 supported on a centralized shaft means 14 so as to be rotated across the face ll. The shaft means M is connected to any suitable clock mechanism, either mechanically or electrically m driver). as may be desired. The works of the clock IG are not shown, since the various types thereof are Well known. f

.rojecting forwardly from the face ll are-'a a plurality of bodies i5 which are spaced apart in manner to dene a closed path in centralized relation to the axis around which the hands l2 and l3 rotate. The proectiOnS |5 may define a polygon. or, as shown in Fig. 1, they may define a 50 circle. and the projections l5 are spaced apart .so that the positions thereof will represent intervals of time. In the form of the invention shown,` twelve projections l5 are employed and spaced apart at angles of 30 of revolution u around the shaft |4 so that the positions thereof represent the twelve hours of a half-day.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the face ll may be formed by a flat wall IB, and theprojections or bodies 15 may be hollow as indicated by dotted lines I 1. The bodies |5 define volumes of space having the form of triangular prisms placed with the axes thereof substantially vertical, so that the three side walls or faces of each prism lie in Vertical planes.V The prismoidal bodies 15 are each placed so that two walls or faces l8 and |9 thereof Will converge forwardly from the plane defined by the face Il, to meet at a vertical edge 29. In the form of the invention shown in Figs. l, 2, and 3, the time indicating numerals l to I2 are employed in pairs, one of each numeral being placed on a wall or face |8 and a wall or face l9 of the proper prismoidal body l5. Accordingly, one of each numeral may be viewed from the left, as shown in Fig. 1, the other numeral may be viewed from the right, and both numerals on each body 15 are visible when the face of the clock ll is viewed from a position directly ahead of the same, for example, as shown in Fig. 2. The hands l2 and |3 are provided With enlargements or knobs 22 and 23 on the end portions thereof, these knobs or bodies being of such size and being so disposed as to be clearly visible when the clock is being viewed along lines of vision 24 and 25 indicated in Fig. 4, such lines 24 and 25 being shown at angles of approximately 10 from the plane A-A of the face of the clock. The .hand l2 is of such length that the body 22 on the end thereof will describe a circle smaller than the article defined by the projecting bodies l5, and therefore the enlargement or body 22 will move within the circle of projections 15. The hand l3 is preferably deflected outwardly, as shown in Fig. 4, so that as it moves it will clear the forward edges 20 of the projectionsvl5. This hand l3 is of such length that the enlargement or knob 23 on the end thereof will describe' a circle larger than the circle of projections |5 and .will accordingly travel around the face ll of the clock outside of the circle of projections I5. By use of the structural or physical characteristics hereinbefore described, a clock is provided bywhich the time indicated by the hands due to their positions relative to the projections |5 may be discerned or read from a low angle of Vision, which may be even smaller than the angle of 10 shown in Fig. 4.

I have shown the clock ID as being of openfaced character, that is, without a glass cover or bezel. An additional feature of my invention is the provision of a glass cover having transparent wall portions which extend from a plane spaced ahead of the plane A-A rearwardly at least as far as the plane A-A so that no opaque wall will be interposed in the line of vision 24 or the line of vision 25. The cover of the clock in this practice of the invention may be of cup form, as indicated by dotted lines 30 in Fig. 4.

Although in the preferred practice of my invention the projections I5 are of triangular prismoidal form, such projections may be otherwise formed. For example, in Fig. 5 I show a portion of a clock face having projecting members'36 and 31 which are of cuboidal form, one wall or face of each member 36 and 31 lying in the vertical plane defined by the face 35. Each member 3G and 31 has five exposed walls or faces comprising a front wall or face 38, side walls or faces 39 and 40, and .top and bottom walls or faces. 4|

and 42, the walls or faces 39, 39, and beingy vertical and each having a numeral placed thereon indicative of the time. When the clock face 35 is lbeing, viewed from a position straight ahead, the front 'walls or faces l38 of the projections 36 and 31 are visible to the observer. When the clock face 35 is viewed angularly from the left, the side walls or faces 39 and the numerals thereon are visible. Likewise, when the clock face 35 is viewed angularly from the right, the rightward walls or faces 40 of the projections 36 and 31 and the numerals thereon will be visible to the observer. It very naturally follows that numerals, such as indicated by dotted lines 43 and 44, may be placed on the remaining walls or faces of the projecting members 36 and 31.

Although I have herein shown and described my invention in simple and practical form, it is recognized that certain parts or elements thereof are representativeV of other parts, elements, or mechanisms which may be used in substantially the same manner to accomplish substantially the same results; therefore, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the following claims.

I claim as my invention:

l. In a multi-vision clock of the character described for indicating time at low angles of vision, the combination of: a face; a plurality of bodies projecting forwardly from said face, said bodies being disposed in spaced relation so that the spacing thereof will represent intervalsl of time, and said bodies each having a pair of oppositely presented indiciaI of time thereon; and a pair of hands supported so as to move relative to said bodies whereby the positions of said hands relative to said bodies will indicate time, said hands having enlargements on the end portions thereof disposed so as to be visible along a low angle of vision relative to said clock face.

2. In a multi-vision clock of the character described for indicating time at low angles of vision, the combinationV of: a plurality of triangular prisms placed in a closed path and being spaced apart so that the positions thereof will represent lntervals of time, said prisms being placed with their axes vertical and each with two side faces thereof diverging rearwardly from a vertical, for- Wardly disposed edge, there being. time designating indicia on said side faces of said prisms; and an hour-hand and a minute-hand having means for moving the same relative to said prisms, said hour-hand having a knob positioned thereon so as to move through a path smaller than the path defined by said prisms, and said minute-hand havi ing a knobV positioned thereon so as to move through a path larger than the path defined by said prisms.

3. A device of the class described having: a face member; indicia members projecting from said face member and having indicia faces inclined from the plane of Said face member to provide Visibility of indicia thereon .at low angles of sight relative to said plane; and pointer means including an inclined indicating end disposed to mask at least portions of said indicia faces at` said low angles of sight.

4. In a multi-vision clock of the character described for indicating time at low angles of vision, the combination of a face; a plurality of bodies projecting forwardly from said face, said bodies being disposed in spaced relation soflthat the spacing thereof will represent intervals of time, `said bodies each having a pair of indicia of time disposed at opposite angles relative to said clock face to be legible at relatively low angles of vision; and a pair of hands supported so as to move relative to said bodies Whereby the positions of said hands relative to said bodies Will indicate time, said hands having indicating faces disposed at an angle to said clock face so as to be visible with reference to said indicia along low angles of vision relative to said clock face.

5. In a multi-vision clock of the character described for indicating time at low angles of vision, the combination of a face; a plurality of bodies projecting forwardly from said face, said bodies being disposed in spaced relation so that the spacing thereof Will represent intervals of time, said bodies each having a pair of oppositely directed indicia of time thereon; and a pair of hands supported so as to move relative to said bodies Whereby the positions of said hands relative to said bodies will indicate time, said hands having angularly disposed enlargements on the end portions thereof Whereby said enlargements may be visible along a low angle of vision relative to said clock face, one of said enlargements being positioned so as to move in a path inside the path defined by the centers of said bodies, and the other of said enlargements being positioned so as to move in a path outside the path defined by the centers of said bodies.

6. A clock having: a face member; time indicia members projecting from said face member, the projecting extremities of said indicia members defining a plane spaced from said face member; a minute indicator intersecting said plane; an hour indicator also intersecting said plane; and means 'for carrying said indicators vvhercby said indicators move in circumferential paths on opposite sides of the projecting extremities of the indicia members.

7. In a multi-vision clock of the character' described for indicating time at low angles of vision, the combination of: a face; a plurality of bodies projecting forwardly from said face, said bodies being disposed in spaced relation sc that the spacing thereof Will represent intervals of time, said bodies each having a pair of oppositely presented indicia of time thereon; and a pair of hands supported so as to move relative to said bodies Whereby the positions of said hands relative to said bodies will indicate time, all the opaque parts of said clock, except said hands, that are more distant from the center of the clock than said bodies being rearward of the plane of said clock face.

ANTHONY E. CARL-SON. 

